


Marriage Proposals, Greedy Cousins, and Temple Bells

by redvelvete



Category: Hindu Religions & Lore
Genre: F/M, Sasirekha Parinayam - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:11:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26180170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redvelvete/pseuds/redvelvete
Summary: Temple bells ring, marriages are scheduled, and cousins are incredibly greedy. Balaram can't ever get a break, and Revati has resigned herself to life as a fugitive.
Relationships: Revathi x Balaram
Comments: 27
Kudos: 16





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Nila for editing, and I hope you all enjoy!

**Prologue - Revati Brahmma**

Revati Brahmma has never once in her life, woken up before 8 AM without an explicit reason. And yet, right now, she is up at the crack of dawn, stuck in her uncle's 2005 Camry that definitely needs replacing. Her aunt sits in the front seat, holding onto her thermos of chai tightly with her eyes closed. Clearly, she isn't the only one who resented this early morning drive, and she turns to her uncle as he ducks into the car, handing his wife the prasadam that he had gotten from the priest outside. 

"Why are we going back to the village now?" Revati tugs on her uncle's shirt, once softly and then harder when her uncle ignores her in favor of breaking off a piece of ladoo to stuff into his mouth. 

"Like I know!" her uncle scowls, pulling his seatbelt into place, "your dad suddenly called me and told me to bring you back home. I tried saying no, but -" 

"But what?" Revati asks, leaning forward to steal the rest of the temple sweets. Looking up, she sees her uncle glaring at her. 

"Give that back." he snatches half a sweet back, "your father said he'd rip out my spine and hang it from the flag post for the other townspeople to see. Is that reason enough for you?" 

She sinks into the back seat, huffing in indignation. "I had to present my thesis today! Do you know how many phone calls I had to make? Academia isn't exactly forgiving, especially when it comes to female academics. I mean, did you hear that story about the women who had to do her final exam while giving birth? The sexism - you all should be thanking god I could come!" Revati finally takes a break from her rightful tirade -  _ women deserve better, damn it! _ \- to take a look at the streets leading into their village. Decorated with bright colors, she can see people walking, carrying giant pots, and bundles of vegetables towards the house. There are garlands all around the street, and she can see men up in the trees pulling coconuts down. 

"Is someone getting married?" she asks, craning her neck out of the window to see if the names are painted somewhere on the streets. She thinks back, wondering if she had gotten any invitations in the mail. Shifting to look out of the left window, she remembers a quip her friend Varuni had mentioned in passing. 

"Is Kalindi getting married? Wasn't her engagement last month?" Revati claps her hands in delight, turning to her uncle and aunt. "How wonderful! Gopal really is a wonderful person; I met him at the engagement and he was super nice and he absolutely adores Kalindi. But why didn't she tell me personally?" 

Her uncle rolls his eyes in response, pulling up into the driveway in front of their house and parking the car. She leaps out, pulling her cabin baggage out of the backseat and running to her mother, hugging her and pressing her nose into the nape of her neck. Her mother strokes her hair, eyes crinkling as she looks at her daughter, tall and olive-toned with rosy cheeks and a button nose. 

"Amma, I missed you so much!" Revati chirps, holding onto her mother's shoulders and looking around the courtyard. She can see her cousin and father in the distance, rushing towards her. 

"Calm down, you demon!" her mother laughs, holding her chin and turning it to look at her, laughing harder when she sees Revati's eyes blinking at her owlishly. 

"Ma, why are there so many people here? Is Kalindi getting married?" Revati grins excitedly, "Am I right? You should've called and let me know, I would've helped out earlier!" 

Her cousin strides over, arriving before her father, who has gotten caught up in helping the workers carry the tent posts. 

"Kalindi? Why would she get married now?" he asks, arms dangling before pulling his cousin into a one-armed bear hug. Revati squirms, trying to escape as he tightens his grip with a grin. She finally escapes, stepping back to glare at her cousin. 

"What do you mean?" she says, tapping her foot in indignation, "Gopal and Kalindi got engaged last month, isn't it well about time they got married?" 

"Their marriage has been finalized for next month, did you not receive an invitation?" her cousin laughs at Revati's perturbed expression, ruffling her hair and chuckling more when she glares at him with renowned vigor. 

"Well then, whose marriage is it? Yours? Who's the unfortunate soul that agreed to marry you?" she snickers, speaking with mock sympathy. She makes a motion to head towards the house, picking up her suitcase. 

"No, not mine!" her cousin grins, grabbing her shoulder. "It's yours!" 

Revati drops her suitcase, turning around in shock. Her cousin and mother are beaming at her, eyes shining with delight and excitement. 

"What?" she whispers, rage ebbing from her as she tries to hold in her anger. 

"Yes, Revi, to a large business owner in America! He's such a good boy, he dedicates a lot of his time to advocating for farmer's rights -" her mother pauses to take a breath, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

"And what is his name?" Revati asks, disconcertedly quiet, but this goes unnoticed by her family members. 

"Balaram Addepalli!" her cousin preens as if he is talking about his own brother, "Vasudev Addepalli's son, co-heir to Yadav Industries!" 

_____________________________________________________________________________

**Prologue - Balaram Addepalli**

Balaram has always been a very practical person.You have to be, to deal with younger siblings like Krishna and Subhadra. Ever since he was little, he remembers doing what he felt was his duty - attending to the chores, saving Krishna from all the people they inevitably made enemies out of, and studying day and night so he wouldn’t get left behind by his decidedly more brilliant siblings. 

Balaram isn't jealous! He's just telling the truth. Even if Krishna and Subhadra affectionately call him Samraj, it doesn't change the fact that his siblings are brilliant in every way, herding in admirers from every corner of their small village of Gokul, to even now in their large company in America. He's content this way, living day to day, taking care of his siblings, and things he cares about. 

This all changes the day he sees her on his sister-in-law's flat-screen TV. 

He returns from work, entering Krishna's flat for their Friday hangouts with Subhadra and Rukmini. Dropping his bag by the front door, he walks into the kitchen to wash his hands and grab a glass of water. Finishing this, he drops into the sofa next to Rukmini, hands out for a hair tie as he sinks into the sofa with a sigh of relief. Rukmini chuckles, handing him a spare hair tie before settling back into her comfortable position in the middle, staring intently at the TV in front of her. 

"What are we watching?" Balaram asks, sitting upright as he pulls his chin-length hair into a small ponytail. 

"It's Gopal's engagement - you know, my friend from school? I couldn't make the engagement because of that fiasco we had with Paundrak, so Gopal sent me a video file. She peers at Balaram, who is staring at the screen with tired eyes. "You know, you can take a nap. You haven't had any sleep helping the media team with their press release on farmer suicides." Balaram waves a hand at her, smiling reassuringly at her. 

"It's fine!" he blinks once, trying to show Rukmini that he was completely fine, "I have nothing better to do anyways. And you know Krishna, they will wake me up when they come home anyways." He stretches his legs out across the couch, leaning on his elbow to get a more comfortable view of the TV screen. The bride is smiling shyly, looking at Gopal, who can't seem to hold in his excitement. 

_ Ah, young love!  _ \- Balaram thinks, rolling over onto his stomach to stare at the screen after getting comfortable. He catches a glimpse of bright green next to the red saree that the bride is wearing. Then a laugh rings out, and it feels like he's hearing the temple bells ringing in his mind, bright and clear and beautiful in their own right. The camera pans up, following the green lehenga to a dark blue blouse and golden jhumkas. 

Then he sees her, long, curly black hair, eyes crinkling in laughter as she hits her friend's shoulder. Balaram can't stop staring at her, entranced as she smiles and laughs like a happy child. Her nose is hooked, a golden nose ring shining in the lamplights of the marriage hall. She stands firmly, feet planted on the ground with ease and grace. Even when the bride gets up to complete the ceremony, he cannot take his eyes off of her, her laugh still ringing in his ears.

"Rukmini -" he starts, ears reddening rapidly before the front door slams open, and Krishna and Subhadra are home. 

"Samraj Anna!" Subhadra runs to him, giving him a quick hug before going to wash her face in the bathroom. Krishna kisses their wife in greeting, before pulling their brother into a half hug, grinning in delight when they notice Balaram's reddening ears. Balaram narrows his eyes in suspicion, as Krishna leans against him to get a better look at the screen. Seeing what their brother is looking at, they grin and turn to their brother. 

"See something you fancy?" they laugh, ducking out of their brother's reach as Balaram makes a swing for their head. They run to Rukmini, who rolls her eyes but doesn't kick them to the wolves. 

"Shut up!" Balaram huffs, expression immediately calming down when he looks at Revati but then furrowing up in frustration as he looks at Krishna laughing at him. 

"Subhadra!" he whines, turning to his younger sister for help. She looks up at the screen, smiling widely as she looks back at her brother. 

"Ram, do you have a crush?" she whispers in sheer excitement, "Oh god, the elder prince of Mathura High, the one who has eyes for his siblings only, finally has a crush??" 

"I'm leaving!" he gets up, leaving behind the chuckles and laughs of his siblings as he storms up the stairs in indignation. 

"Her name is Revati Brahmma, Balaram!" Krishna yells after him, and Balaram tries to ignore the way his heart soars at her name, "And I'd suggest you ask our parents to discuss a marriage proposal since you're so utterly terrible at romance!" 

Balaram leans his head over the stairs to stick his tongue out at Krishna before slamming the door to the guest room, Revati's laugh still in his ears. 


	2. Vermillion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Narrator: Revati  
> Things go to hell, courage is won and lost, and Balaram ruins his favorite shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is so late! There are quite a few arguments here; please stay safe.

Revati has never quite seen red in the intensity she sees it right now. She can feel herself stiffening, not even able to smile at her grandmother as she leans down to let her grandma press the _kum-kum_ to her forehead, eyes crinkling fondly as she stares up at Revati, and she musters up all her courage to smile weakly at her grandmother. 

_How dare they_ , she thinks, clenching her fists as she follows her mother up the grand stairs, eyes trained on the low bun in front of her. The chatter of all her relatives and neighbors crashes over her like a million waves, and it feels like she is drowning in her anger. 

“You are so lucky!” her maternal aunt giggles, slapping her shoulder, “you’re practically set for life, marrying a rich, handsome man like Addepalli sir’s eldest son!” Revati looks at her pointedly, and somewhere in the distance, she can hear her mother exclaiming that it must be the pre-wedding nerves. 

_Did her opinion matter so little to her family?_ Revati surmises, almost giggling harshly at her foolishness. She has always thought her opinion was valued in her family, years of counseling her father in village matters, years of sitting on her father’s lap as he asked her what she would do to solve the many problems the villagers brought to him. But of course, in the moments it mattered the most, her parents have entirely neglected to extend her the basic courtesy of asking her if she even wanted to get married. 

“Are you excited, my dear?” her mother keeps giggling, fluttering from relative to relative like a busy bee amid spring. Usually, the sight of her mother makes her giggle and laugh - baby Revati would toddle after her, grabbing at her saree skirt to point to something and ask a profusion of questions that would tumble out of her lips. Now? The sight irritates her to no end, and all she wants to do is strap her mother to a wooden chair or gouge her eyes out. She instead chooses to smile at her mother coldly, moving forward to push the doors to her bedroom open. Her mom skips through, making her way to the bed to lay out all the jewelry and dresses for the ceremony. 

Revati closes the door and smiles sweetly, feeling like gallons of poison are pouring off her. 

“It’s good that I came home early!” her mother nods in agreement, totally engrossed in deciding between the diamonds and the rubies. 

“I mean, who knows? You might have made me get onto the altar without even letting _atha_ tell me how lucky I am.” her mother finally looks at her with a hurt expression, and Revati thinks to herself - _good._

“Revati, we knew that you’re sensible, you would’ve agreed anyways!” her mother goes to grab her hands. Revati snatches them away, holding them close to her chest. 

“But I don’t! How great is Addepalli sir’s eldest son for you to decide you don’t have the time to at least ask me before going through with this?” she wants to break something, anything. 

“At least?” her mother asks, looking as if Revati’s request is entirely unfathomable. The violent urge is back. 

“Yes, at least. What you should’ve done is told me about this proposal, with my permission, spoken with this man’s parents, and then, most importantly, IF I LIKED HIM, we would’ve discussed our future - MY FUTURE - together. But what did you do?” she glares at her mother with ignited fury now. Her mother has the common sense to not speak. 

“You have decided that all my work, all my relationships, and even all of my opinions and thoughts are worthless. You’ve put your daughter, who you’ve known for a good 21 years, below a man who you have only met through a phone call.” 

“Actually, I haven’t spoken to him yet -” Revati snarls at this, and her mother cowers in fear. 

“Did you at least look at a picture or did the mention of a rich son-in-law rob you of all your common sense?” 

“Yes! He even sent us a video explaining that he couldn’t make it to India until the last minute, so he sent us a video detailing what his earnings are, his house, his career, his life - The video’s loaded on the laptop there, you can watch it now!” her mother nods, as if this will fix everything. 

“And how did the young master come to send this?” 

_There is vermillion rage in her eyes._

“He saw you in Kalindi’s marriage DVD - he’s close friends with Gopal, the groom!” 

_The vermillion finally erupts, and it bleeds out, creating an ocean of misery and rage._

“I see.” Revati smiles, anger rolling off of her, “So, he saw me in a DVD, and now I have to decide the rest of my life through a 10 minute YouTube video?” She pushes past her mother, picking up the laptop. Her eyes glint, and she knows that she is irrational. 

“Revati - listen to me, dear - ” Revati lifts the laptop high above her head, and she throws it onto the hard, tiled floor, watching it splinter with only a little more satisfaction than before. 

Her mother finally snaps, turning to her daughter with equal fury. 

“To hell with him. To hell with you. I’m not going through with this marriage - you can tell the whole village and the Addepalli family that the marriage is cancelled.” 

“You want to bring shame upon your parents that badly? Is it because you already have a boyfriend?” her mother whispers accusingly, and Revati wants to rip her throat out. 

“Do I really have no value without a husband? Are you really linking my value to whether I don’t have a husband or not?” 

“Answer the question!” 

“No! I don’t fucking have a boyfriend! I have been focusing on my career, like I am supposed to be at this age!” her mother beams and Revati flares up at this. 

“What are you smiling at? What are you smiling at!” she screeches, and she can hear footsteps coming up the stairs, but she can’t bring herself to care. 

“You can go out, and tell everyone that this marriage is cancelled because you and your husband didn’t have the common sense to send your daughter a Zoom Invite to discuss her own marriage with her. Go on, have fun with that. You’ll have plenty of time since you don’t have to look after me.” Revati waves her hand, knowingly wearing the most irritating expression she can fathom. 

She feels something tighten around her hand, and as she turns to look, she can see her father’s furious expression. His hand lifts, and she squeezes her eyes in fear as she is slapped, hard. 

_Her father just slapped her._

“Is that how you speak to your mother?” he snarls, and the family resemblance is stunning. 

“I’ll speak to anyone who disrespects me however I want. It’s not like she remembered I’m her daughter.” she spits, refusing to back down even in front of her father. 

“Shut the hell up!” her father bellows, “why won’t you realize that this is in your best interest?”

‘I don’t fucking care if he sends me to the fucking moon! This was done without my consent, and I will not stand for it!” 

Her father pinches his nose, and Revati glares right back. 

“Everytime I think that you have grown up, you show me that you are still a baby. Can’t you see that marrying Balaram will set you for life? He is a CEO, his family can easily put you through graduate school, and the alliance comes with so many good connections that will only help you!” 

“If the proposal is this good, why didn’t you just ask me?” 

Her father stares at her. 

“You heard me! All I hear is how well-off this man is, how handsome this man is, how great the family is - but tell me - if this is such a great proposal, if he’s such a good person, if you trusted me, _why didn’t you just ask?_ Do you hate me that much?” Revati can feel the tears swimming in her eyes. _Not now. Not right now._

“We thought we didn’t need to ...” her father only looks slightly embarrassed. This is the worst day of her life. 

“Clearly,” she mumbles, “you must want to have me off your hands.” Her father looks shocked at this and stares at her almost sadly. Revati turns away. 

“Uncle! The groom’s family has arrived!” her cousin calls up the stairs, and her father takes one look at her before muttering to her under his breath. 

“You will take part in this marriage. That’s final.” With that, he leaves with a sigh, adjusting his collar before rushing out the door. 

Her mother stares at her before sighing and shaking her head. She pulls her up with one hand, and Revati knows she should resist, but she has no energy anymore. Her mother drags her along, taking her from one ceremony to the next. 

“You know the marriage isn’t today. I’m sure you will change your mind once you see Balaram. He speaks in such a kind manner, he is surely not a bad man.” her mother suggests as she smears _nalugu_ on her face. 

“Even if he looks like Vishnu, if he doesn’t have the decency to ask me for my own hand, I don’t want to marry him!” 

Her mother tries again during the aarti, leaning in to whisper as Revati tries to place the flowers in front of the god. Revati glares at her once more. _If you speak to me, I will bite your face off._

It feels like a giant snake is stirring in her stomach, and she absolutely hates the sensation. God, she hates Balaram. She should’ve never gone to that engagement, she shouldn’t have worn that saree, she shouldn’t have worn those jhumkas, she shouldn’t have laughed, _she shouldn’t have -_

“Revati!” 

Revati blinks, looking up to see her mom pass her some golden jhumkas. She stares at them with distaste, her stomach churning at the thought of wearing them. Her mother stares pointedly and beckons Revati over so she can put them on for her. 

_God, she has no energy. She’s so angry, she has no idea what to do._

Her mother shakes her once, telling her to stand up so she can help wrap the _saree_ around her. Revati does as she is told, only looking up when her cousin bursts through the door. Her mother frowns as her cousin rummages through the drawers, looking for something in a panicked state. 

“What do you need?” she asks, tapping her cousin once to look at him with an eyebrow raised. 

“Didn’t we keep the extra money here? The packets?” her cousin is muttering to himself, and Revati has never seen him like this. 

“Speak up! Why do you need the money?” her mother is irritated already, exhausted from Revati’s protests and now her nephew’s sudden descent into crazed madness. 

“Two of the groom’s relatives have come ahead, the slimy rats -” 

‘I’m sorry - who? What?” Having found what he needs, her cousin has finally stopped his crazed search and faces his bewildered aunt and exhausted cousin. 

“Two of the groom’s party - Shisupala and Dantavakra - what olden names - have come first before the groom and his siblings. We went out to greet them and they just started asking about the dowry? Like, they just started asking in front of everyone -” 

“That’s illegal!” Revati finally hears herself speak, “They can’t do that, we have the right to report them -” 

“That’ll just make things worse for your dad!” her cousin sighs, pinching his nose before rushing out the door. 

“Do you see now? Things are already hard for your father, don’t make things worse.” her mother tells her sternly, pinning her saree into place. Her mother shoves the bangles up her forearms, and Revati realizes that she has no one to trust here. 

**_Cowards!_ **

Revati grits her teeth, letting her mother apply the _kajal_ under her eyes. She isn’t going to stand for this anymore. 

Her mother finally zips up the makeup bag, looking at Revati with a hint of satisfaction and entirely too little remorse. Revati can hear someone call for her mother, and her mother bunches up her saree to rush downstairs. 

“Don’t move!” Revati smiles thinly in response, and her mother glares before heading out. 

As soon as the door shuts, Revati gets up, looking around the room for a way to sneak out. She should leave the jewelry and take a change of clothes, but she doesn’t want to. 

First, she has no time, and someone might come in at any notice. 

Second, she kind of wants to steal the family jewels as a giant _“Screw you!”_ to her mother and father. It’s okay. Things’ll work out somehow. 

She spots a lorry full of coconuts parked right below her window, perfectly positioned under the drainage pipe. Revati inhales, bunching up her saree and wrapping it around, so it looks like a pair of excessively baggy pants. 

“You can do this, come on, you’re no coward!” she mutters, saying a quick prayer before slipping out the window and precariously wrapping her legs around the pipe. She inches down, slowly, and drops into the pile of coconuts. There is no one here, everyone preoccupied with the chaos happening in the front. 

_Their mistake._

Her phone is safely in her drawers, and she has only taken her wallet, with a couple thousand rupee notes tucked inside. She’ll catch a train at the train station and stay at a friend’s house before finding an apartment and a way to continue her career—one step at a time. 

The truck abruptly stops in the middle of a bazaar. She can hear the engine stop, and the driver fumble with the door. Taking that as her cue, she slides down the side of the truck and runs in the opposite direction. She isn’t looking where she’s going and comes colliding into a red motorcycle parked in the middle of the road. Her head crashes into someone, who seems to choke and sputter on his drink. The man turns to look at her incredulously, his expression somehow frustrated and worried at the same time. His hair is a bit long, dark brown, tousled, and messy, with a straight nose and perfect lips that seem entirely too used to frowning. He was a head taller than her, with broad shoulders and a stance that was somehow assured but unconfident at the same time. Revati blinks, finding herself staring at him for far too long. 

“Ugh, this was my favorite shirt!” he mutters, looking down with a pout on his face. The shirt is just a t-shirt with the words “SHIRT” printed across the front. Okay, this guy was a handsome weirdo. 

“Uh, I’m sorry -” Revati knows that she doesn’t need his name, but it seems impolite somehow since he seems very, very sad at the fate of his shirt. He stares at her for the first time, and he gulps, looking almost scared. 

“Raj. My name is Raj.” he says and sticks his hand out. 


	3. Red Motorcycles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are no princes here, only red motorcycles and karma comeuppance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! A new chapter, this time from Balarama's perspective. As a note, Balarama tends to go by a lot of names, so you'll hear him call himself Balarama, Ram, and Bala.   
> Also, Raj is from Samraj - Bala really adores Subhadra.

_ Narrator: Balaram Addepalli _

Raj is not the show-stopping, alluring name that Balaram wanted to introduce himself with. He honestly doesn’t know why he chose this name - he doesn’t feel princely in any way. 

He honestly feels like a giant idiot. 

Balaram had been enjoying his drink, enjoying the nice, warm, sunshine and the busy chatter of the streets. Life has never been better, and he takes off the little rubber band in his hair to let his hair go loose. Life is too good to restrain anything. 

And then his absolutely adorable, delightful, younger sibling called him. 

Sadly, he is not talking about Subadhra. Lifting the call, Krishna’s voice, as sharp and infuriatingly calm as ever, rings through the air and swiftly cuts Balaram’s good mood to pieces. 

“Your bride has fled your marriage!” Balaram ends up spitting his drink everywhere, earning a furious glare from the old man next to him. 

“What? Why? Her parents said she accepted and she was really looking forward to it, did something change, did she lie -” 

“ **_She_ ** didn’t lie,  _ anna _ , her parents did,” Krishna sighs in exasperation, “I overheard some people talking - they didn’t let her know till she arrived home this morning.” 

_ What the fuck?  _

“Honestly, Bala, what did you expect? Why didn’t you speak with her first?” For the first time in his life, Balaram is being scolded by Krishna, and it is an experience he never wants to live again. He sputters, trying to find the right words. 

“They told me that she had agreed but she was too busy to speak with me because she was taking exams -” 

“And what? You believed them?” 

“I didn’t want to be a creep!” Balaram yelps, fully aware that the circumstances have made him into the world’s biggest creep. 

“Ram, you have become the world’s biggest creep right now. But anyways,” Krishna takes an infuriating sip of water, “I think everyone is planning to leave, and honestly, good, we’ve tortured the poor girl enough.” Balaram can’t argue with that - he feels like such a dick for believing her parents’ lies and not having the common sense to think for himself. 

“I’ll call you later,” he says, thanking the lord that for once, Krishna lets him go without a fight. Shaking his head in frustration, he opens his water bottle, trying to take a long drink of water to calm his nerves. Suddenly, he feels something sharp slam into his back, and he resists the urge to let out a yelp. Some water spills on his shirt, and he lets out a gasp, hearing himself say “Ugh, this was my favorite shirt!” 

Okay, yes, this is a shirt that has the words “SHIRT” printed on it, but Subhu got it for him with her first paycheck! It’s a good shirt! 

He whirls around, coming face to face with a girl in a red saree, decked out in wedding jewelry. She’s furiously adjusting her headpiece, but she looks extremely familiar. Finally, she looks up, staring at him like an owl, before breaking out into a sheepish grin. 

_ Revati!  _

Why was she here? Why wasn’t she rightfully attacking him with everything she had? She’s just ... staring at him. 

Does she not - recognize him? 

“Uh -” Revati shakes her head - “I’m sorry -” she blinks at him some more, and it dawns on Balaram that she’s looking for his name. 

Ha! Why was this happening to him? 

His inner voice chimes in helpfully, sounding too much like Krishna for his liking.  _ Because you’re an idiot, Bala.  _

“Raj. My name is Raj.” Balaram manages, sticking his hand out and smiling.  Revati looks at him quizzically, and he inwardly cringes. Revati takes his hand and shakes it firmly, a smile unfolding on her face like a rosebud unfurling. 

Oh, my god. Ram silently thanks whoever made this happen. 

Revati opens her mouth, before spinning furiously when the clock at the train station chimes. Her face fills with panic, and she squeezes his hand before wrapping her saree around her waist more securely and running off. 

Well, that was that. It was finally time to go back to movie nights with his siblings, late nights at the office, arguments with his father, and long conversations with his hairdresser. Tucking his Frooti bottle into his bag, Balaram got ready to look for an auto to take him home. Suddenly, a photograph is shoved into his face. He pushes the photo away, glaring at the man in question. He’s a head shorter than him, with short black hair that’s been practically drenched in cheap hair gel, and a nose that looks like it’s been punched one too many times. The man in question sneers and Balaram stares him down. 

“Can I help you?” he asks, tightening the straps on his bag and turning to look at the now forming crowd. 

“Have you seen this girl?” the man hands him a photograph, and Balaram squints at it. There’s a girl, with curly hair pulled back into a bun and a blinding smile. Curly strands fall in front of her eyes, and she’s wearing a black Gorillaz shirt over skinny jeans, with matching Adidas shoes. 

Revati! Balaram musters a smile at the already impatient man, who seems increasingly suspicious as time passes. 

“No, can I ask who she is? She’s really pretty.” The man beams at this, before glaring at Balaram like he forgot that he had to be toxic and machismo. 

“My cousin. She’s just gotten into a bit of trouble.” Balaram has to restrain himself from snorting. That had to be the understatement of the century. He gathers his best board-room smile, tucking the photo in his back pocket. Liars didn’t need photos of pretty girls. 

“Well, I hope you find her, brother.” Bala slaps the now bewildered guy on the back, before pushing through the crowd and walking as quickly as he can to the train station. Did no one watch the video he sent the Brahmma family? Running a hand through his hair, he sits on the curb next to a bright red motorcycle. God, this wasn’t the trip he envisioned when he started this whole mess. He pulls his hat out and tucks it over his eyes, and fiddles for his phone as he waits for his auto to arrive. Nearby, there is a shout, and he looks up to see Revati running at him. 

Is this his end? Was she going to rightfully stab him? This wouldn’t be the first time someone tried, but Ram would prefer to not get stabbed. Due process and all that. However, much to his surprise, Revati instead pulls him up, turns his back to the road, and shrinks in on herself, still clutching onto the front of his shirt desperately. 

“Um,” he’s having a really hard time focusing right now, “what are you doing?” he starts to whisper as Revati glares at him. 

“None of your business!” she hisses, but she grabs his shirt harder when she hears her cousin shout, looking a lot like a small kitten. 

“You’re using my shirt, I’d say it’s sort of my business?” Ram smiles slightly at Revati’s expression, before shrugging and pulling the photo out of his back pocket. Something about her really calmed him down, which was ironic because this situation was probably eventually going to get him into trouble. 

“This is you, right?” Revati gasps and grabs the photo, studying intently before wrinkling her nose and crumpling it in her palm.  _ No! _

“Did my cousin give you this?” she asks, brows furrowed, “How much do you know?” she insistently whispers, like she’s unaware she’s the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. 

“You’re wearing the reddest saree I’ve ever seen, you’re decked out with, what looks like family heirlooms, and you’re running from your family. Is the groom an asshole or something?” Revati wrinkles her nose at him. 

“Everything comes down to the groom in the end, huh?” she smiles, but the smile has left her eyes, and Ram leaves the topic alone. Taking off his cap, he tucks it onto Revati’s head, before stretching his arms out. 

“Either way,” he starts, ignoring how his heart races, “it’s not a good idea for us to stay here for too long.” Revati’s eyebrows raise, but she smiles, and he counts it as a win in his book. Revati narrows her eyes, understandably suspicious.

“Yeah,” she says in a tone that sounds like she’s saying no very fiercely, “thank you, but I’ll be fine.” She finally lets go of Ram’s shirt, stretching out her hands before turning her chin defiantly at him.

“You look like a walking traffic light.” Revati glares at him, and he rubs circles against his temple.

“Look, your concern is appreciated, but I can handle myself!” Revati pulls back, before frowning and stepping closer again.

“How about this - ” Revati sighs like she’s going to regret this decision, “please help me escape from the train station and buy me a meal.” Ram’s eyebrows shoot up.

“A meal?” 

“Yes. I’m hungry and you seem very eager to help me.” She was having fun with all this! 

“Alright, let’s go, I’ve got to introduce you to this town’s finest cuisine!” He waves his hand forward with a flourish, looking at Revati expectantly. She rolls her eyes, but follows him anyways.

Balaram brings her to a roadside restaurant. 

“This - this is your idea of fine cuisine?” she glowers at him, obviously very annoyed with his antics.

“Hey -” Balaram waves the server down - “don’t look down on roadside food. This is where you get the good service.” The server looks at him expectantly, and Balaram looks at Revati. 

“Do you want anything in particular?” Revati shakes her head no, and Balaram turns to the server instead.

“What do you recommend?” the server shrugs, and Revati looks at him pointedly, as if to comment on how absolutely wonderful the service really was. She really reminded him of Krishna, a comparison Balaram didn’t like that much. He sticks his tongue out at her before asking the server about his recommendations a bit more insistently this time.

“I mean, anna,” the brat flips his notebook over, “everything is good here, but I would recommend the idli -” Revati, who’s been making quite a habit of this, tugs on his sleeve again. 

“I heard the dosa here is really good!” she pipes, and the waiter glares at her. She glances away in response and looks at Balaram instead. The waiter turns to look at him pointedly as well, and Ram starts to get an idea of exactly what type of girl Revati Brahmma really is. 

“Then, we’ll have one idly and one dosa.” he says, before thinking some more, “also, a glass of chai, please.” The waiter snaps his notebook shut and nods before heading back to the kitchen. 

“So,” Revati leans forward like an old detective from a 70’s cop movie, “where are you from?” 

“I was born in Gokul, but I moved to Vrindavan really young, and now I live in America.” he shrugs, before peering at her, “Wait! At least introduce yourself to me before you start digging up my life story.” She looks at him pointedly, before turning him down with a firm and decisive no.  _ Fair enough.  _

The idli and dosa arrive, and Balaram’s mouth starts watering. He pushes the dosa plate towards Revati and breaks off a piece of idli, dunking it in the sambar and popping it into his mouth. Revati does the same with her dosa, dunking it instead in the chutney. She then tears off a large piece of dosa and puts it in his plate before looking at him expectantly. He’s already used to this social cueing because of his siblings, so he breaks off half of his idly and gives it to her. Revati quietly smiles at this, immediately eating it and smiling even wider. They get back to eating in silence, a stark change from meals with his siblings, which usually consisted of dares, miniature food fights, and his exasperated mother scolding them all. The tea finally arrives, and Balaram gestures towards Revati, telling her to have some first. She shakes her head, and Balaram sips on the tea before setting it down. She grabs it then, curling up on the bench and clutching the glass with both hands. 

“You know, I said you could have it first,” he says, trying to grab for the teacup. Revati pulls back, drinking the tea more quickly and smirking after he makes an affronted noise. 

“You ordered it, you have to have the first bite,” she says matter of factly, “that’s just basic manners.” 

“Okay, now give me the last bite at least!” she sets the teacup down in response, which comes up, as expected, empty. He sighs, before setting his wallet down on the table. 

“I’m gonna head to the bathroom, watch my stuff for me.” Revati nods in response, curling in on herself even more somehow. Balaram leaves, picking up the tea cup and the plates to drop off at the washbasin. 

When he returns, Revati is nowhere to be seen. His wallet is gone as well, and there’s a hastily scribbled note on the table. 

“I need to run, but thank you for the food and the money! It was nice meeting you.” she signed the napkin note off with a simple “Revati.” 

_ Some prince.  _


End file.
